For one North Hudson firefighter, giving thanks for the support he received from the Fire Department while serving the in the National Guard was a priority after returning home from his second tour of duty in Iraq.
Michael Alvarado, a West New York resident, said that as a child he always knew his calling.
“My parents gave me a fire hat, a hydrant, and a fire truck, and ever since then I always felt very close to the department,” said Alvarado.
“I was in complete awe in what these people had done for me.” – Michael Alvarado
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While NHRFR could have passed him on the list, they decided instead to reserve his spot and grant him a leave of absence, said Chief Brion McEldowney
When he returned home, he expressed his shock when McEldowney called to tell him he got the job. Alvarado went on to serve a year on the department before receiving the news that he was going to be recalled to Iraq in 2008, just a few months shy from completing his enlistment.
“It was difficult to hear,” said Alvarado, who has served for 14 years in the New Jersey Army National Guard and was promoted to staff sergeant. “It took a couple of days for it to actually sink in and come to terms with it, but once I was in the mind frame and I knew that I had to go and there was nothing I could do about it, I just mentally prepared to go out there one more time.”
Support from fellow firefighters
During a ceremony held on Oct. 26 at North Hudson headquarters, located at 11 Port Imperial Blvd., Alvarado talked about his sendoff party for his second tour.
He had been told last summer that he was attending his brother-in-law’s 40th birthday party, but instead, a “sea of firefighters” greeted him as “The Eye of the Tiger” played in the background.
The party, along with the one he was greeted with when he returned on Aug. 23, was paid for by a t-shirt sale.
The fire department raised an extra $500, which they presented to Alvarado. He in turn will donate the funds to the Kids of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund.
Alvarado spoke about the care packages he received while in Iraq. Students from Harry L. Blain Elementary School in West New York sent him gifts, while the children of firefighters often sent him cookies and cards. One of his fellow firefighters even sent him an iPod, while another sent him firefighting textbooks.
“I was in complete awe in what these people had done for me,” said Alvarado.
Giving thanks
Alvarado organized the recent event to give thanks to McEldowney, Deputy Chief Anthony Avillo, Battalion Chief Steve Quidor, Captain Leonard Calvo, and Firefighter William Renner for all of their support through the years. Quidor and Renner were not able to be present.
Alvarado had five flags flown over Bagdad on Feb. 17, 2009 and presented each one to the firefighters who kept him in their thoughts.
“Anybody that lays their life on the line for a country or people he doesn’t know, the people he really has no beef with, has to be admired,” said Avillo. “The least we could do was to show him support. There are very few people who would want to be in the shoes he had to fill over there.”
Calvo said that he was a “class” act, and the fact that Alvarado donated the money they gave him to a non-profit further proved his integrity.
During his military service, Alvarado was awarded eight medals, including national defense and Iraqi campaign honors.
Returning home
Avillo and Calvo presented Alvarado with a plaque.
Alvarado joked that the one thing that kept him from re-enlisting with the National Guard wasn’t because he was tired of the military life style or the uniform, but the “food in Iraq.”
All jokes aside, he said he was really happy to be home and back to work. He serves Engine 5 in Union City.
“[I] just want to maybe start a family, take care of the house, take care of my wife and just live a nice, quiet existence here,” said Alvarado.